Cubans arrive farther north in recent days

In the past week, three groups of Cubans have landed in Broward County, including 46 people who reached Hollywood Beach aboard two go-fast boats, two who came ashore near the same spot a few days later and 15 who landed their homemade boat in Fort Lauderdale.

In all, 63 Cubans have reached Broward County shores since March 29, in part because smugglers and those in homemade boats likely are trying to avoid federal authorities patrolling the waters off the Florida Keys and Miami-Dade County, officials from the U.S. Coast Guard and Border Parol said.

According to the Coast Guard, its patrols intercepted 1,195 Cubans at sea since Oct. 1, compared with 728 during the same period last year.

The Coast Guard credits interagency cooperation for the increased interceptions, saying immigrant smugglers continue to take advantage of the lucrative business that comes with transporting human cargo. Still, neither agency believes the numbers signal an exodus.

"There's no way this is an exodus," Guzman said. "That would be way more numbers."

Just before midnight Wednesday morning, 15 Cuban migrants landed their homemade boat near the 1800 block of North Atlantic Avenue in Hollywood, authorities said.

The group left Camaguay, Cuba, a month ago and reached the Bahamas on March 11, Guzman said. They worked there illegally until they saved $1,200 to buy the boat, which was powered by a car motor, he said.

On Monday, the 10 men and five women - one was eight months pregnant - headed for the United States.

The Cubans were held at the Pembroke Pines Border Patrol Station at North Perry Airport and then taken to the Florida State Health Assessment Center in Miami, where they were released to relatives, Guzman said.

Tuesday night two other Cubans came ashore in Hollywood and walked around the beach for about an hour looking for someone who could speak Spanish, Hollywood Sgt. Manny Marino said.

And early Saturday another group of 46 Cubans landed on Hollywood beach, smuggled in aboard two go-fast boats, authorities said. Smugglers had picked up their human cargo from Cuba's north coast and stopped in the Bahamas to refuel before racing to South Florida.

The first boat reached the beach about midnight and a second arrived about 3 a.m., officials said. Both landed near Charleston Street, about a half-mile north of Sheridan Street.

Officials have not made any arrests in that voyage and are trying to identify suspects, Guzman said.

Smugglers often fill the speedboats, designed to carry six to eight people, with as many as 40 at a time, according to Coast Guard spokesman Luis Diaz. Smugglers typically charge between $10,000 and $15,000 per person to make the trip.

"A lot of money goes into the pockets of smugglers," Diaz said. "For them, it's a business and they don't really care about the people on board."

Cubans caught at sea are interviewed by immigration agents and repatriated if they cannot show a credible risk of persecution if returned to the island. The vast majority are sent back. Those who make it to U.S. soil, however, generally are allowed to stay.

Officials from both agencies warn against the practice, saying smugglers will often load the boats with extra fuel barrels, creating floating "time bombs."